1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ladders and more specifically to auxiliary stands for utilization with extension ladders in situations where it is not possible to rest the upper end of the ladder against a vertical support. It is utilized in situations where the employment of a stepladder is not suitable or in situations where it is more convenient, economic and efficient to use only an extension ladder and not to have to deal with and handle both an extension ladder and/or a stepladder which may or may not be of the appropriate height for the job being undertaken.
As is known, extension ladders are generally comprised of an upper and lower section at least, and possibly more. Each section is comprised of a pair generally parallel rails with the usual rungs for stepping on extending between the rails. The upper and lower ladder sections are slidably mounted with respect to each other. The upper ladder section is extendible with respect to the lower ladder section. The upper section can be extended to varying lengths to provide additional height when used, and then retracted and closed for storage when not in use.
The other type of common ladder is referred to as a stepladder which comprises ladder sections with generally parallel rails with a plurality of spaced rungs extending between them. An opposing frame which may be just a frame or a mirror image of the first ladder section has an upper end hingedly attached to the upper end of the first ladder section. In the erected condition it extends downwardly and outwardly therefrom. A pair of foldable braces or arms are usually hingedly connected at intermediate points of the ladder sections so as to hold the ladder sections in a predetermined angular relationship to each other so that, as is known, when the stepladder is erected it is generally in an A configuration. Most stepladders have no means of adjusting the height and are of limited utility, particularly in the case where they must be erected on an uneven substrate or when the height of the area to be reached is recessed away from the base of the object of which it is desired to access the upper portions thereof.
A particular operation undertaken for which neither a conventional stepladder nor extension ladder is very suitable is in gaining access for trimming large decorative shrubs, the tops of which can usually not be reached by conventional stepladders, and in which because of bulk or girth and lack of a solid support, an extension ladder often is not appropriate to be employed to reach the upper domains of such a tree or bush.
Thus one is often faced with the multiple choice dilemma of reaching from a conventional stepladder with the inherent safety risks which this involves, or laying an extension ladder against the bush and having the ladder fall into the bush or roll off the bush because of overflexible or non-stable support to stabilize the extension ladder.
Various attempts to remedy this dilemma have employed generally jerry-mandered contraptions which comprise, for example, taking a extension ladder and temporarily attaching brackets thereto or lateral supports to stepladders. Various approaches to this have usually resulted in Rube Goldberg arrangements including brackets attached to extension ladders and modifications of stepladders and extension ladders that made them unsuitable for employment in the usual manner because of the additions, either temporary or permanent, of attachments to them which resulted in something entirely different from the usual stepladder and made them awkward to use.
In accordance with the present invention an easily moved mobile base is provided for temporarily securing retaining a conventional extension ladder to allow the extension ladder to be utilized in its usual manner and to reach heights in which the upper end of the extension ladder is not resting against the conventional upright wall and yet there is no permanent attachment to the unmodified extension ladder which would make it unsuitable for its normal intended use and/or awkward to move about.
The ladder support of the present invention temporarily retains the base of the lower section of the usual extension ladder and provides intermediate support so that the ladder may be used in a tilted upright position without the necessity of resting against a wall or providing any attached braces, legs, or lateral supports. In this manner, one can utilize the conventional extension ladder as a stepladder. It is particularly useful for trimming bulky bushes such as large decorative evergreens.
2. Prior Art
The closest prior art references of which the Applicant is aware are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,446--Zelikovitz shows a ladder with a lateral support secured to the bottom of the lower section and foldable lateral supports angling out from the top portion of the lower section of the ladder. It has the spreader arm 30 similar to a conventional step-ladder. The lateral supports are indicated at 45 and the base attachment at 40 This is essentially a permanently constructed combination extension ladder/stepladder and does not provide a separate independent stand or support in which to place unmodified extension ladder for use in a particular situation as is possible with the development of this invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,262--Margolies discloses in effect a tripodal supported stepladder in order to increase lateral stability.
Others references which generally illustrate the state of the art in this area include stabilizer bars or foldable support features and lateral support features for extension ladders are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 1,496,201--Baxter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,723--Shore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,703--Wilke, U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,477--Ralston, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,629--Vanden Hoek et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,876--Severson.